Bigcountry, please don't think my post was in any way critical of the white collar types. Work is work. and I agree about the time off. I have tried on several occasions to get my boss out hunting with me. He can't find the time. He, (on salary), usually works 10 -20 hours a week more than I do. In the end I don't think that $ for $ and hour for hour he makes any more than I do when you add my OT that he doesn't get. And you are right to about cutting class. I'd be white collar if I'd kept my butt in a school chair!

MEN,
Just askin ? Iam a Correctrions officer for the state of PA, I know scum,evil,slime and the worst that humanity has to offer andI do it for pennys on the dollar and probably will never know a trophey hunt like dock joe, the wensels,The biggie hoffmans,Doctor thomas, ect, Does it make me a less of a hunter ? HELL NO ! Just a lack of opputunity notlike those with a clean hand and a non-broken middle class back.
Tj

No problem. I had this grandfather, who insisted that college is the place I want to be. He never graduated grade school, but taught himself how to read. Now, every since a small lad, I wanted to be a marine, and after that a power man or something simular. He insistedcollege iswhat I want. But what I found, was every dog has its flea. I sit in an labortory or travel all the time, and don't do any physical work. I have to compensate by going to a gym. I have diabetes pretty bad, and if I don't work out, I start feelin bad and it keeps it under control. I feel if I had a very physical job like when I worked around the mines, my diabetes would be taken care of. If my Grandfather was alive today, I would tell him, an whitecollar job is not all its cracked up to be either. I get so mad every year when I try to hunt. I have 6 weeks of vacation, I cannot even use.

I have been on a few moose hunts, and hog hunts. I have to save up for them. And most of the time when out there, I do see people that go on these things every year. I am amazed.

TJCraig, I feel for ya man. I got a electrical engineer friend who keeps wanting me to do work with him for motorola doing prison surveleance engineering. He has to go out to the various prison all the time to inspect and survey the job. I just can't imagine how I would feel if I worked in a prison every day. I would have a foul outlook on life. Much respect to ya.

TJ, we all make choices in our life. And I know friends that are electricians and plumbers that hunt and hunt every freakin season up the pike. I am jealous. But I made my choice to work crazy hours, and make money I can't use(wife does). Its like a double edge sword.

Adding an "LOL" to a post just not justify an insult.

Steve

Whitecollar trad guy here also.

This is a weird topic. [8D]

Bob,
I was only making a point that you never or rarely here about the expoilts of a poor working stiff, america is full of money and if ya just happen to be middle class NO ONE CARES ! When was the last time ya read a story of a bowhunter that is a garbage man from BERGOO west verginny ? LOL
Tj

Most of my stories I read about are good ole boys. I dont' think we read the same mags. I read primative archery, and traditional achery mag. Almost all those stories are from regular old joes.

Just read a story in Bowhunting World about self bowyer, who lived in Michigan making hickory self bows, and showing his hunts.

Actually come to think of it, I rarely read stories about doctors and lawyers killing anything. Maybe give us some more examples. I don't have TV so no outdoor channel, and never met or read about the wensels. But realize who they are.

Why do you want toread abouta garbage man so badly?

I know you have them, but do you actually read TBM or Primitive Archery?

Bob, yea, I read primitive archer. Whats wrong with that mag?

I grew up poor. I went to college on ACT scores, then quit college and contracted. When I was travleing the country contracting, I didn't do bars or gamble .... I had a compound and went to local ranges in every town I went to. I met a lot of folks along the way. I worked my through jobs, stepping stones, and now hold a pretty nice job thats semi-secure. I have a wife, 2 kids and a mortgage. I realize, that you better hunt while you can. I've always known that too, and when I was singel I did as much hunting as I could, and my wife knows I'm going to hunt as much as I can while I can.

In 2007 I'll likely elk hunt, KS whitetail and maybe another hunt. I don't have a lot of money to spend, so in a seperate bank account I buy/sell stuff on EBAY etc and the extra money I put in there to pay for my hunting. I sold some wood I cut this year, it went in there.I'm selling amodel 411 hangun I bought years ago - that $325 will go in that account.

I do this every year, and it seems I have just enough to OTC elk tags and whitetail in KS. And its still not cheap, but I do it.

The places I hunt, some Bill Jerden would give his left nutty to hunt. I'm privy to hunt there, because I've made some good friends along the way that allow me to come hunt with them. Those hunts are extra special because of the comraderie. The OTC elk hunts are special, because of how tough they are.


My point is ......... you rarely stumble into good hunting. You have to earn it and make it work. Blue collar hunting is the way hunting should be IMO.